October 24, 2010

It’s made of lycra and cotton, which means it’s soft– it feels a lot like a snug sports bra. There was a little bit of abdominal pressure, especially after eating, though it resulted in minor discomfort at worst.

Effectiveness: 5/5

There were small lumps left, but they didn’t look out of place. While I’d have loved it if I ended up flatter, there was no more give left to my chest– it’s about as good as I’m going to get without surgery.

Discreetness: 4.5/5

Remember how I said it’s made of cotton and lycra? The result is that it actually looks like a cotton tank top or undershirt. It’s a little bulky, but even that seems to come from the double-sided design more than anything else– it’s reversible, light blue on one side and white one the other– and will not look out of place even when it is highly visible.

Overall : 4.5/5

Seriously, I love this thing. All that’s left is to see how durable it is, but I have high hopes.

October 24, 2010

Reviewed by Jordan

Product name: UnderWorks 983 (Medium)

Manufacturer’s website: UnderWorks.com

Cup size at time of use: B

Comfort: 3/5:

It’s 70% Nylon and 30% Lycra. I think the Lycra is what makes this product actually worth it. The Nylon makes a swishing noise if I rub my shirt over the binder. Reminds me of an extremely uncomfortable bathing suit. Also, I don’t care how thin/thick you are, this sucker will roll up when you bend over or need to be adjusted if you make any sudden movements. Under the arms is the most uncomfortable because the fabric gives a pinching feeling, even though it fits like it’s supposed to or there tends to be friction there because I move my arms like other human beings. Oh, and no matter how many times you wash this sucker, it still smells like rubber or something strange. I have sink-washed and hung-dry like the instructions say and that smell never leaves. However, the fabric is breathable, so if I sweat at all, it may be damp, but it doesn’t ruin the functionality of the binder itself. Also, a major note: the website sort of assumes since you are a “biological female” then you must have tiny shoulders. This creates a problem in itself because, personally, I have very broad shoulders, so since the shoulder straps are meant to sit at a certain place on an individual with a smaller frame, it causes a hump in the scoop of the neck, which is irritating because, of course, we want it to lie flat on our chests like a tank top.

Effectiveness: 4/5

It definitely does what it says it does. Somebody else had submitted a photo of “without binder” and “with binder.” That describes it perfectly. It’s especially nice if you are like me and went from wearing a couple sports bras to this binder. The difference is amazing. For me, the less I wear, the better. I don’t like to have to prepare all my undergarments before putting clothes on. That’s just time-consuming and ridiculous. I don’t think I could ever wear a regular sports bra again because I have definitely become accustomed to the binding effect. It has also helped with my posture, although the binder is not stiff and is flexible, but I tended to hunch over without knowing it to hide my chest. It definitely could improve though because I still am not fully confident to walk around with my chest thrust outward (not that I would, but you know what I mean). Also, I adjust my chest under this binder by flattening my breasts toward each armpit. Personally, this helps me and the “shaping” process because, of course, if they aren’t perfectly positioned in the binder, there are oddly-shaped looking bumps on my chest and no, they don’t appear to be pecs, however, what I described does help with that specific effect.

Discreetness: 3/5

Depends on the shirt you wear over it. A tighter fitting shirt is more difficult because of the hump that’s created in the neck scoop, so it protrudes outward if the shoulder straps are not positioned on the outermost part of my shoulders. No, wearing a tank over it really doesn’t help, and like I said, I am personally burnt out on layering my clothes. That was the point of the binder. Also, with a tighter fitting shirt, if it rolls up, well, you might as well be wearing a sports bra because you can totally tell which part of your upper body is confined within a fabric and what is not. You may also note that if you have *any* underarm fat tissue, it will protrude out of the binder in what I’ve seen described as “dog ears.” If you are a thinner person, it will appear to be a tank top under your shirt, but still keep in mind the size of your shoulders, as this will still affect how it fits.

October 24, 2010

It’s very comfortable and warm, although I have to pull it over my head because pulling it up shifts the inner material too much and causes the cotton outside and inner panels to become misaligned and then it becomes a mess. It’s very stretchy material and not too bad to work out in at home.

Effectiveness: 1.5/5

I got an extra-small size because it’s the recommended size for me, and when I put it on I still had a bump. When I went out to play soccer with some friends with this on, I had to wear another compression shirt underneath to get the flatness I wanted. Without the extra compression shirt, I had two very visible breasts still, so it didn’t really do much of anything for me except prevent them from bouncing around (which makes it essentially a longer, more expensive sports bra).

Discreetness: 3/5

I got the black colour, so it looks like a muscle shirt, and it looks very natural by itself, but doesn’t compress very well, and it’s quite long to wear untucked. The collar is also quite high, so when I wore it underneath another shirt, it poked through which brought up a lot of questions as to why I was wearing a black undershirt.

Overall : 2.5/5

It’s comfortable for home use, but aside from exercising in it, or wearing it amongst understanding friends, it wasn’t very helpful to me. I got the smallest size and it barely did any compressing.

October 24, 2010

In the beginning it seemed tight, but not uncomfortably so. After about two weeks of wearing it to school (but taking it off at night to sleep) I got used to the compression and it was actually quite nice. Now I feel uncomfortable without it, haha! However, I find that when I eat large amounts of food, or after I’ve gained a bit of weight, it takes more effort for me to breathe deeply (however I usually take shallow breaths anyway, so it might just be me).

Effectiveness: 3.5/5

For the first six months that I’ve had it, it worked really well and I was completely flat, however at one point after that, someone accidentally put it into the dryer (it’s supposed to hang dry, even though it’s machine washable) and ever since then the material has felt looser and has lost some of it’s compression abilities. Now I have to double it up and use safety pins to keep it up for the compression and even then it looks like I have really small breasts when I wear semi-close fitting shirts.

Discreetness: 4.5/5

I’ve made several new friends after I started to use this, and up until a month ago when we went swimming (and I had to use a normal swimsuit) they had thought I was completely flat naturally. I usually wear semi-baggy shirts, so it’s quite discreet then, but with slim-fitting shirts, ever since putting it in the dryer ruined the material, it’s shown a bit of bump. However, several times I’ve been called “sir” when I go into a cafe or restaurant and my friends speak for me (since my voice is so high pitched I can’t even pass as a prepubescent boy…).

Overall : 4/5

It’s worked wonderfully for me for the past year and a half, and I’m only replacing it now because the material is too loose and sweat stained. (ew!)

October 24, 2010

Cup size at time of use: I’m uneven! An A and one big B (averages to around 35″)

Ratings:

Comfort: 3.5/5

I would give the chest compression a 5/5 – more comfortable than a tight sports bra and totally awesome. However, the relaxed mid-section lowers everything to a 3.5/5 rating for cutting into my stomach. It is really uncomfortable. The two layers of chest compression stop about two inches above my belly button and squeeze my gut down like a tube of tooth paste. This might be more comfortable for someone that is skinny, has a tight stomach, or a longer torso (so the compression would stop slightly higher on the ribcage). This binder doesn’t work very well with the short torso / chubby factor.

Effectiveness: 4.5/5

That inner-tube of gut around my midsection gives my stomach a look I don’t like, but the chest compression is great. Any more compression would seriously compromise the comfort of this binder. In a baggy shirt you can’t really tell there are boobs there, even though I’ve got that one large B cup. It also balances out the unevenness of my chest. It also really helps with posture.

Discreetness: 4.5/5

Again, the doughnut of fat around my waist is noticeable in tight shirts, but it doesn’t necessarily present a female-bodied look, especially in a loose fitting shirt. Up top you can’t really see the seams across my shoulders and my chest looks very smooth. There’s a little fabric looseness along the collar over my bigger rogue boob that occasionally bumps out or catches my looser cotton shirts. More even chested dudes shouldn’t have a problem, though.

Overall : 4/5

The gut cutting is a real bummer. I’m hoping to stretch out the compression around my midsection to make this binder more comfortable for day-long wear. Love the chest compression, though, so I can’t complain too much.

October 24, 2010

My chest measured about 34 inches so I ordered a medium according to their measurements and ended up having to exchange it for an X-small which fit well.

Ratings:

Comfort: 4.5/5

Getting it on is TOUGH. Getting it off, is even harder. It doesn’t hurt when it’s on except for sometimes when I’m sitting in weird positions for a long time. Does chafe at the armpits a little. And also, it makes my chest and stomach make creaking noises when I breathe. But it is all worth it.

Effectiveness: 4.5/5

I used to use t-shirt sleeves and tight spandex pants legs which I feel sometimes gave me better results because I could pull it tighter. But this is one constant fabric that conceals well and I can wear pretty tight shirts and still pull off a 97% flat chest.

Discreetness: 4.5/5

It’s definitely passable except for the fact that you can’t wear V-necks.